Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Murder in Bloom by Liz Fielding

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER IN BLOOM (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #3) by Liz Fielding on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Book Tour.

Below you will find a book synopsis, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Synopsis

One part jealousy. Two parts rage. Somewhere in Abby’s sleepy little village, the perfect murder is brewing . . .

Abby enters the Maybridge Flower Show, never dreaming for one moment that she’ll win the gold. Or an invitation to appear on telly, alongside gardening legend Daisy Dashwood!

Some people say Daisy’s a tiresome diva. But starry-eyed Abby can’t wait for the cameras to start rolling. Until . . .

Daisy staggers out on stage. Only to collapse at Abby’s feet.

Her demise might seem like a tragic accident — resulting from a cocktail of booze and hay-fever medicine.

But Abby’s not so sure. She starts digging, to uncover shifty suspects at every turn. From snarky co-stars to a toy-boy lover, they all had reason to want Daisy dead and gone.

And that’s not the only puzzle playing on Abby’s mind . . .

In life, Daisy went nowhere without her trusty caddy of healing teas. Now it’s vanished.

What if someone’s been tampering with Daisy’s favorite cuppa?

MEET YOUR NEW FAVOURITE AMATEUR SLEUTH

Brilliant gardener and the busy mum of three, Abby Finch’s dreams of winning gold at Chelsea Flower Show were put on hold by an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. These days she’s kept on her toes looking after her beloved family, running her own business and dealing with her imminent divorce. In an effort to keep things cordial, she’s allowed her ex to bully her into restoring the garden of his family home. Thankfully she’s surrounded herself with a great group of friends to lean on.

THE SETTING

Pretty Maybridge is a charming village set in the sheep-dotted Cotswolds hills, with a long history stretching back to Tudor times. It’s the type of place where everyone knows each other, but there’s a wonderful bookshop on the corner of the bridge, a popular riverside café and a bustling market at Christmastime. And with Bristol nearby and a big supermarket round the corner.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216535713-murder-in-bloom?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=NP2o4gkFz1&rank=4

MAYBRIDGE MYSTERIES SERIES

  • MURDER AMONG THE ROSES
  • MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE
  • MURDER IN BLOOM

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER IN BLOOM (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #3) by Liz Fielding is another well written, enjoyable addition to the Maybridge Murder series. The inquisitive Abby Finch is back once again, and murder just seems to happen in her vicinity. While this is the third book in the series, it is easily read as a standalone. I have read and enjoyed all three books.

After months of work, the Maybridge Flower show is here, and Abby is hoping for the best with her first major show entry. To her surprise she won gold. As the legendary gardener and host of The Potting Shed TV show, Daisy Dashwood invites Abbey to appear on her show filming at the event. When she shows up for the filming, Daisy appears very ill and incoherent and falls on the stage. She is rushed to the local hospital and is pronounced dead.

Her death appears to be an accident, but Daisy had many secrets and with her secrets come many suspects. Daisy’s personal assistant discovers Daisy’s favorite tea ball and caddy are missing in which she always used her own herbal tea mix. Could someone from the show or Daisy’s infamous chef boyfriend want her dead? Abby has questions once again that place her in the middle of a murder investigation.

This is such a well written series. The plot is well paced and contains plenty of red herrings and twists that always keep me guessing to the climax. Abby is an endearing protagonist who is realistically written with no exaggerated problems. She has her own gardening business and is starting to believe in herself and her professional abilities. Her three children are all in their teens and happy. She has a boyfriend, many friends in the village, and in the police force. Maybridge’s inhabitants are all very believable and I want to continue to visit the village even if there do appear to be a few too many murders.

I highly recommend this winning addition to the Maybridge Murder Mystery series and quite frankly the entire series.

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Author Bio

Award winning author Liz Fielding was born with itchy feet. She was working in Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, has lived in Botswana, Kenya and the Middle East, all of which have provided rich inspiration for her writing.

She has written more than seventy books, several of which have won awards, and sold over 15 million copies. In 2019 she was honoured with the Romantic Novelists’ Association Outstanding Career Award.  She lives in West Sussex.

Social Media Links

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FACEBOOK
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Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Murder Under the Mistletoe by Liz Fielding

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #2) by Liz Fielding on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Book Tour.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Abby Finch heads to the old church hall armed with mistletoe and holly ready to help decorate in time for the festive season. But she arrives in time to witness a horrifying sight. Edward Marsh reaches to test the antique star at the top of the tree. There’s a fizz and the lights go out.

Abby hears the sickening thud of a body hitting the ground. When the lights turn back on Edward is dead.

It soon becomes clear it was no accident.

The real victim should have been Gregory Tatton, a dapper silver fox, popular with the ladies of the seniors’ lunch club. And a known blackmailer . . .

Abby is desperate to know the truth, but putting herself in danger isn’t on her Christmas list. Who’s been naughty? Who’s been nice? Who’s hiding the fact they’re a murderer?

MEET THE DETECTIVE

Brilliant gardener and the busy mum of three, Abby Finch’s dreams of winning gold at Chelsea Flower Show were put on hold by an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. These days she’s kept on her toes looking after her beloved family, running her own business and dealing with her imminent divorce. In an effort to keep things cordial, she’s allowed her ex to bully her into restoring the garden of his family home. Thankfully she’s surrounded herself with a great group of friends to lean on.

THE SETTING

Pretty Maybridge is a charming village set in the sheep-dotted Cotswolds hills, with a long history stretching back to Tudor times. It’s the type of place where everyone knows each other, but there’s a wonderful bookshop on the corner of the bridge, a popular riverside café and a bustling market at Christmastime. And with Bristol nearby and a big supermarket round the corner.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199527169-murder-under-the-mistletoe?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7FSLDiMmLD&rank=1

A MAYBRIDGE MURDER MYSTERY

Book 1: MURDER AMONG THE ROSES

Book 2: MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #2) by Liz Fielding is an entertaining trip back to the small English town of Maybridge for another murder mystery set at Christmas and once again featuring Abby Finch and all her friends. This second book in the series can be read as a standalone, but it is as wonderful as the first and I suggest reading both to get the introductions, interactions, and backgrounds of the main characters right from the start.

Abby Finch is asked to drop off some mistletoe and holly to decorate the church hall for the season. Abby is in time to reconnect with an old high school teacher before he climbs a ladder to place the star on the top of the tree, and with a pop, the lights go out. When the breaker is switched back on, Abby’s old teacher is dead on the floor.

Immediately after giving a statement to the police, Abby is confronted by another senior, Gregory Tatton. She feels threatened by him even though all the senior ladies seem to love him. Abby begins asking questions with the help of some close friends and discovers Tatton was blackmailing some members of the senior’s club as well as prospecting for a third wealthy wife. The electrocution was meant for him, but he does not get away. One of the ladies who cleans for him finds him dead in his home.

Abby is once again questioned by the police when they discover Tatton was killed with ricin from the seeds of the castor oil plants which she has in her garden . She is determined to find the real killer before she is implicated. The killer may have other plans though to eliminate Abby and any of her discoveries.

Even though this is only the second book in the series, I already feel at home in Maybridge and I love all the main characters. Abby is a wonderful protagonist and I love that she is so realistic as a businesswoman, single mother, and possibly on the verge of a new relationship with an old friend. The characters are fully drawn and believable and the descriptions of plants and gardens are vivid. The mystery itself has plenty of red herrings and plot twists that kept me guessing because even when I felt I knew the solution, I was wrong.

I highly recommend this cozy holiday murder mystery, the entire series, and this author.

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Author Bio

Award winning author Liz Fielding was born with itchy feet. She was working in Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, has lived in Botswana, Kenya and the Middle East, all of which have provided rich inspiration for her writing.

She has written more than seventy books, several of which have won awards, and sold over 15 million copies. In 2019 she was honored with the Romantic Novelists’ Association Outstanding Career Award. She lives in West Sussex.

Social Media Links

Website: https://lizfieldingblog.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.fielding/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizfielding

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liz-fielding

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Murder Among the Roses by Liz Fielding

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER AMONG THE ROSES (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #1) by Liz Fielding on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Book Tour.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

In the peaceful village of Maybridge, you wouldn’t expect to find a dead body in the rose garden. And certainly not two.

Abby Finch is horrified to discover the bones of a baby long-since buried under a rose bush in the garden of her soon-to-be ex-husband Howard’s family home.

She immediately calls the police but she can’t get hold of Howard. He’s off on a jolly with the very pregnant soon-to-be new Mrs Finch.

Abby will do whatever it takes to keep things cordial for the sake of her three children. But when Howard learns the press have found out, he’s livid. He accuses Abby of sabotaging his fledgling political campaign.

And then, just two days later, Abby finds Howard himself.
Lying dead in the very same rose garden.
Throat slashed with her own garden spade.

Now Abby is the prime suspect.

Somebody in this quiet village is hiding a dark secret. And Abby will have to dig deep to uncover the truth.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123811844-murder-among-the-roses?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9lCYlbptgo&rank=2

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MEET THE DETECTIVE
Brilliant gardener and the busy mum of three, Abby Finch’s dreams of winning gold at Chelsea Flower Show were put on hold by an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. These days she’s kept on her toes looking by her beloved family, running her own business and dealing with her imminent divorce. In an effort to keep things cordial, she’s allowed her ex to bully her into restoring the garden of his family home. Thankfully she’s surrounded herself with a great group of friends to lean on.

THE SETTING
Pretty Maybridge is a charming village set in the sheep-dotted Cotswolds hills, with a long history stretching back to Tudor times. It’s the type of place where everyone knows each other, but there’s a wonderful bookshop on the corner of the bridge, a popular riverside café and a bustling market at Christmastime. And with Bristol nearby and a big supermarket round the corner.

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER AMONG THE ROSES (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #1) by Liz Fielding is an outstanding cozy mystery start to a new series set in the quiet and quaint village of Maybridge featuring a unique protagonist. From the beautiful cover to the resolution of the mystery, I was unable to put this book down.

Abby Finch loves her gardening business and is trying to remain civil with her soon to be ex-husband for the sake of their three children, but he has coerced her into cleaning up his family’s estates gardens after the death of his grandmother. As she is digging up a rose bush, she discovers the small bones of an infant. She immediately reports the find to the local police.

When Harold Finch returns from a weekend trip with his fiancée, he immediately confronts Abby about going to the police and accuses her of trying to destroy his budding political aspirations. After Abby has a run in with his fiancée, she goes looking for Harold and finds him over the baby’s grave, dead.

Even with several people in and out of the garden that day, Abby, the soon to be ex, is the prime suspect. As she begins to investigate estate records researching the time the bones of the baby could have been buried, she begins to bring to light dark secrets Harold’s family tried to keep buried.

This is a fantastic cozy mystery. The author does not begin immediately with the murder, but introduces Abby, her family and friends and other characters associated with Harold and the divorce. It was fascinating to read how Abby went about researching the estate and journals from the past to bring to light the murderer in the present. The story pulled me in with characters that are fully developed and believable. I feel the pacing of this cozy mystery plot is flawless, and the twists and red herrings are perfectly placed. I am very interested in how the author will move forward in this series and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I highly recommend this cozy mystery!

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About the Author

Award winning author Liz Fielding was born with itchy feet. She was working in Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, has lived in Botswana, Kenya and the Middle East, all of which have provided rich inspiration for her writing.

She has written more than seventy books, several of which have won awards, and sold over 15 million copies. In 2019 she was honoured with the Romantic Novelists’ Association Outstanding Career Award.  She lives in West Sussex.

Social Media Links

TWITTER
FACEBOOK
BLOG